Knights of the Old Republic: The Jedi Order
by Hiromitsu
Summary: An alternate ending to KotOR2: The Sith Lords where the Exile does not leave, but stays to reestablish the Jedi Order in the galaxy. Expresses ideas and views that are not considered cannon. R&R, if you will. Chapter 3 is up.
1. The Fate of the Force

Notice: All information used herein is at the implied use by Lucas Films Limited. All ideas, concepts, and thoughts are those of the author, no part of this document may be used without written or expressed consent by the author.

Star Wars:

Knights of the Old Republic:

The Jedi Order

With the Jedi Order completely wiped out, only the Exile, Atris, and his new apprentices remained. The Betrayer was defeated, her powers forever destroyed, all of the Sith fell at the hands of the Exile, his shimmering blade of hope had given way to his own apprentices rising up and fighting along side of him. The Exile turned and looked toward his allies, a somber feeling as he finally found peace in the destruction of the Sith, but at the cost of more innocent lives.

"Master Jorran, I guess it is time to rebuild the Jedi Order from what remains of the Jedi Enclaves on Dantooine, Telos IV, Coruscant, and wherever else." The Handmaiden, Brianna, said, fatigued from their battle with Kreia, she knelt down and rested on the ground. Wearing her mother's robes, she was a capable Echani warrior as well as a Jedi Knight. Sweat perspired off of her brow; her short platinum hair fell down into her face as it slowly dripped sweat. Her prowess matched that of Jorran, and she felt the same love of battle as Jorran had, yet they both knew that they could not preserve all of the Jedi knowledge, some of it was indeed lost to the Sith. Her deep blue eyes twinkled as she smiled standing back up, her well made body still finding its limitations ran quickly without the Force. "Perhaps our academy will teach Echani battle tiers and techniques as well?" She wondered, hoping her master would allow it.

"We will restore the Jedi Order, all of us, together. We will impart unto it the prowess that has allowed us to survive for so long. We will impart our knowledge and our wisdom, our truths and principles, but most importantly, we will impart our lives and be forgiven for our pasts as we dedicate our futures to its and our redemption." Jorran said, looking to Visas gently, then to Atton, Bao-dur, and Mira. He raised his lightsaber, igniting the blazing sword, a violet wave sprung forth, igniting the passion within his allies. "By authority as the last of the Jedi Order, I promote you all to Jedi Masters." His strong face smiled under the purple hue, his dark hair and his goatee shining with justice. One by one, they raised their lightsabers; Atton threw his up merrily, atoning for the crimes of his past, his blade blazing forth rays that would make the sun weep; next the Handmaiden, having been swayed by the words of the Exile when first they met, her devotion strived for him as long as she drew breath, cast up her lightsaber, its blade casting a calm devotion of waves as if they swept through the ocean, instead of the blade of a sword; the Redeemed, Visas Marr raised up her lightsaber, the gift the Exile had bestowed upon her, even after she appeared aboard the Ebon Hawk and tried to kill him, he destroyed her lightsaber in order to save her. The wicked blade of Darth Nihilus gone, the Exile gave her a new saber, one with a blade so pure it was like staring into heaven; Bao-dur, finding his loyalties to the Exile, raised his lightsaber as well, igniting its blade released a shattering bronze blade; and then Mira, knowing the pact she made with the Exile, she honored him by raising her saber erecting the blade like those blades of grass that harbored beneath their feet on Dantooine.

"So we are all in agreement, we are chosen to usher forth the new age of the Jedi. The pressure is on us to succeed where the Sith have forced others to fail." Jorran looked at his comrades, those he had taken upon the journey to defeat the Sith. None of them had been experienced in the Force until the Exile taught them, excepting Visas, but they were all to prove valuable allies as they became true Jedi warriors. As they entered real space, the Ebon Hawk jury-rigged from its apparent ruins, thanks in part to Bao-dur and Atton both.

Riding towards Dantooine, the Jedi were all but tired, despite their apocalyptic ordeals, they managed to continue their old routines. Brianna practiced her Echani, Atton continued to play Pazaak in his head, Bao-dur continued to work on the ship, T3-M4 roamed around the ship at his own choice, Visas sat meditating in her dark chambers, yet Jorran still wandered from room to room, his routine.

He entered Visas's chambers, she meditated in the darkness and lamented on the Force, how clearly she could see now thanks to Jorran opening her up to the Light side. She willed herself to be a sacrifice to him, she would sooner die then see him hurt or unprepared, now there was nothing left to protect him from, her former master was dead, Nihilus was destroyed by his former servant, a betrayal befitting of one of Darth Traya's apprentices. Her hood covered her nonexistent eyes; Jorran sat beside her and placed his arm around her. Her body tensed up for a moment almost as if not expecting his warm touch, he pulled her hood back and looked upon her in the gentle darkness, her long black hair fell plainly down her neck, her cherry red lips almost seemed to utter some nothing that she had never heard of until that very moment.

"My life is yours." She said, instinctively shaking like an animal, fearful of being hurt at any moment by an unpleasant grip or squeeze, yet she found no discomforts in his gentleness, or any hidden sadism, he gently raised her chin up with his curled index finger, tenderly holding her chin in between with his thumb. "All I am is yours." She said as she received his kiss, mesmerized without normal sight. Having no eyes as a Miraluka, somehow she was captivated by the way she saw him through the Force. She felt his softness through the Force, his passion, as well as his pain, yet that seemed oddly complacent now, having been tamed by an abundance of peace and calm. She raised her hand and felt his soft defined cheek, she rest his forehead to hers, "Milord, I will sacrifice everything for you, my heart is yours…I…" She struggled with words; her mouth drew at its corners flustered.

"I know, I love you too, Visas." Jorran finished for her, "Though we are Jedi, we will not fall to the ignorance of our predecessors. I will honor you as my wife before my apprentice." He said drawing her closer for another passionate kiss, leaving her awestruck and invulnerable, she overflowed with joy and love, no longer the abused servant; she was now an equal, of love and stature. She moved closer and held him, melding with him into one love as they held each other in their arms.

Atton Rand, sitting in the cockpit of the Ebon Hawk lay back and relaxed as he set the course for Dantooine. Mira walked in and joined him, she had dropped off her jacket, wearing only her green tank top, tied in a knot revealing her midriff, she sat beside him quietly, he continued to play Pazaak in his head she could feel it. He looked almost as if he were sleeping, for once since their long journey, he was relaxed, there seemed to be no more internal struggles within him.

"You look pretty calm." Shattering the silence, her turned to her and saw her grin slyly. Her revealed body seemed a bit paler then usual, due in part to physical exertion and the sudden entrance into a ship in cold space.

"I still can't figure you out, you hate me, yet you won't leave me alone, you must truly be in love with me." Atton remarked with his scoundrel's grin, opening his eyes he looked at her with a false objectification and whistled. "I'm glad you grace me with you presence, now how much do I owe you?"

"Still the same chauvinistic male bantha as always" she replied, "You know, for once I'd like you to actually pay me a compliment, and after all I've done to keep your sorry butt out of trouble." Picking up a towel lying around beside her, she began drying her hair; she stopped and smelled it, turning to him, "Do I even want to know why you have this here?"

"Well your highness, if you pulled the stick out of your rear unloading ramp you might actually see what a decent guy I am." Having struck a cord, Atton seemed pretty prideful over his victory, if he truly had one; Mira finished drying her burning red hair and tossed the towel onto his head before getting up, rubbing it in, and looking at the galaxy map.

"Speaking of driving cargo into someone's loading ramp." Mira mentioned, an immature smile on her face, she looked at Atton, who returned a similar look of juvenile behavior, "Jorran has not returned from the Miraluka's chambers for quite some time." She knew it would strike a cord if she spoke too loudly, as it would echo straight into the cargo bay where the Handmaiden trains.

"Well, I knew he had some spunk in him, I imagine though that he must be quite the charmer, especially to fill the ship full of women." Atton remarked, winking, "On our short time on Peragus, I taught him all he knows."

"Then that answers why I'd not share his company when I first met him, you set him back." She laughed as she left to watch Bao-dur continue his repairs.

"There's nothing wrong with my skill, I could have any woman if I wanted I just choose to spare them from heartbreak." Atton reassured himself, for an instant, he finally took his mind off of Pazaak and thought deeply about settling down as a Jedi.

"How did I fall to the Dark side so easily?" Atris asked, looking up to Brianna, who continued her Echani shadow training. Her long white hair fell out of its bun and wrapped around her. "…Why did I believe that I could restore the Jedi Order all on my own?"

"You didn't, milady Atris, you believed in restoring the Republic before you restored the Jedi Order." Brianna replied, lessening her concentration as she focused herself to battle on two fronts.

"…I fell to the Dark side long ago, long before I met up with you Echani sisters. Long before I destroyed Katarr by advertising it as the gathering ground of the Jedi, even before the Jedi Civil War, I was ready to execute Jorran for disobeying the Council." Atris pleaded, "I was so betrayed that he would justify his actions that I honestly wanted to destroy him and everything that he was."

"Milady, he has forgiven you, he has forgiven all of us for our inner demons, and because of him we have all become stronger for it. I even broke my oath to you and my other Echani sisters and followed the path of my mother and became a Jedi. These are not things that doom us; they are simply personal failings that we will try to move past." Brianna stopped her training and sat beside Atris, "Like my mother, I became a Jedi, and I look to both you and the Exile for my inspiration, without either of you, I would still be the 'last' of the Handmaidens, weak and unable to fully express myself like an Echani Warrior."

"…Brianna…there is something I must tell you, something that will surely pain you." Atris went on, a dark and terrible secret looming in her voice.

"Yes milady?" Brianna sat, many dark things came upon her mind, things that out of no realistic possibility could ever be real, but lingered on her still.

"…You're mother Jedi Arren Kae, exiled from the Order when she joined the Mandalorian Wars, but she was looked down on when she gave birth to you; followed by you father Yusanis, the father of the Echani sisters; was one and the same as Kreia, who was Darth Traya." Atris revealed solemnly, her light blue eyes squeezed tightly, "I remember it vividly now, when she first took ill she was examined and found to be carrying you. I apologize for having to tell you this." Atris reached out, though unqualified to handle delivering devastating news and consoling someone, Atris had been opened by her battle with the Exile, and from him she learned that she should express those emotions she repressed for so long, however she could.

"…My mother was the Sith Lord?" Brianna sat shaken, "…but she…she can't be, my mother fell in the Mandalorian Wars alongside my father…"

"Your mother's body was never recovered, your father had challenged Revan and lost, you know this, be strong." Atris reassured her, cradling her like a wounded child.

"…But…she was so intent on killing me…" Brianna began to break down, "…she targeted me and nearly killed me…"

"…Brianna, Arren Kae was your mother, when she fell to the one known as Darth Traya, you mother became a distant memory to her, but I promise you, your mother still loves you. Do not weep my child, as long as I am here, I will keep you company."

Brianna looked seemingly broken by this revelation, she fought Kreia alongside the Exile, their blades striking in unison, Kreia paid Brianna no sympathy as she used her mastery of the Force to oppose them, wielding three lightsabers through the Force with which she defended herself and attacked all of them with. "But…I don't understand…" Brianna replied, quivering in pain as she contemplated the shock and replayed the battle over and over in her mind, trying to find some inconsistency in her attacks that would show even the smallest amount of humanity within her.

"Darth Traya murdered your mother, she betrayed the Jedi Order; your mother was a loving and compassionate Jedi and mother, I assure you of this Brianna." Atris, the hold of the Dark-side weakened over her, "I assure you."


	2. Arrival on Dantooine

Chapter 2: Arrival on Dantooine

The lush green grass of Dantooine shone brightly as the light of the sun reflected from the billions of little blades. The Jedi Enclave seemed somehow brighter, as if a heavy weight had been released from its tattered walls and stone pavement. The Laigreks had all been driven out of the Jedi Enclave on their last visit and it was also the planet where Jorran first met Visas and constructed his lightsaber. As the ship touched down rather carelessly, it was a bumpy landing, many of the occupants were thrown astray and the landing platform was quickly evacuated.

Jorran held Visas up, cradling her in her arms, she was like a fragile doll, her bare arms were just a sample of the scars that laced her body, as Darth Nihilus's slave, she was thrown around, battered, and beaten mercilessly. Many healed lacerations curved around her exposed body, pink and lavender scars glowed from her pale skin. She weakly held her head up and looked into Jorran's eyes. Though she saw only the lines of his face and the texture of his skin, she knew he was staring into her sightless eyes with compassion and care that she had never felt before. "Why do you frown?" She asked, touching the corners of his mouth and collapsing her index finger and thumb over his lips tenderly.

He stared at her in silence, looking over her face as her pursed his lips and held her hand gently as he kissed it warmly. "I simply fear that at any moment I may interrupt your sweet voice as it melts softly through the silence." He replied, picking her up gently and resting her body against his, plucking the strewn hair, covered in cold sweat, from her face.

For a flicker of a second, she saw a flash of color enter her Force-sight in the darkness, the deep-blue hue of his eyes colored in those wide irises of his and fixated on her as he reached his arm around her and perched his chin on her shoulder, nuzzling her neck. She nuzzled his neck in return as she wrapped her arms around him tightly, kissing his neck with her soft reddish-pink lips.

"Hey, we're here! Why not put some pants on and actually start rebuilding the Jedi Order?" Mira poked her head through the door, seeing only the massive lump of two people in love. This took Jorran and Visas both by surprise as they rushed to cover themselves as she quickly disappeared.

Upon landing on Dantooine, the Administrator greets Jorran, her face worn with age and stress, she smiles, her sunken eyes revealing a great pleasure. "It's nice to see you again. Why have you come back, may I ask?" Her gaze penetrated Jorran like a blaster bolt.

"I came to rebuild the Jedi Enclave and restore the Jedi as defenders of peace and justice in the galaxy." He replied, she looked at him, astonished.

"I'll do all I can to ensure that you are able to. After you helped us defeat the mercenaries, we are indebted to you, you saved all of us." She smiled warmly.

Jorran's eyes sunk, "Thank you." He replied mournfully, recalling Master Vrook and his friendship with the Attendant.

"You know, you'd think those Salvagers would help since we saved their butts, but no, we have to do it all by ourselves." Atton complained sarcastically, he knew that they'd take anything shiny they found while the Jedi were moving everything around, and then there would be a good chance that it would be something important.

"Well, maybe you'd like to make yourself useful and search around for anymore Laigreks." Mira joked, straining herself while she used the Force to rise up a fallen statue in the main courtyard.

"Well little girl, maybe you'd like a man to do that for you?" Atton remarked as he also strained under the pressure to lift up the statue.

"Tough…guy!" Mira continued while she worked harder herself.

"Better then…you!" Atton exerted much Force to work with her.

Jorran looked at them both, Visas watching him intently, "Maybe if you all cut the chatter, you'd actually be able to do it." He lifted one arm, using minimal strength; he managed to smoothly raise the fallen statue.

"Now we know who the true Jedi is." Visas remarked as she stood beside him, her smile betraying her.

Meanwhile, Atris and Brianna were on the other side of the Enclave, broken droids and dead bodies occupied their time, they were specifically told to give them proper burials. Atris kept working while Brianna was still coming to grips with her mother, the robes fastened securely to her; she did as much as she could do in between her self-interrogation. "How could I travel with her for so long without knowing it?" She asked herself.

"The Dark-side clouds many things, my dear. You could have known her all your life and you would never know it unless she told you." Atris finished placing the bodies on a small cart to drag out and bury all of the bodies outside of the Jedi Enclave. Atris's white hair was restrung into a bun to keep it up. "You know, perhaps I should return the Exile's lightsaber what do you think?" She asked, her luminous blue eyes peering into Brianna's. "I did imply that if he became a Jedi, I'd return it to him."

"That was the lightsaber of a different man, not the Exile whom you caste out of the Jedi Order, but a Jedi who seeks to rebuild the Order from the ashes left by the Sith." Bao-dur replied, coming from the other end of the Enclave, he lifted up the cart and began turning it around. "I thought you might want some assistance." He replied in his casual Iridonian Zabrak voice, the Remote still following him around. His cybernetic arm worked like a phantom, the forearm held to the shoulder by a charge of energy, without strain he picked up the cart and began making his way out. Atris looked upon him respectably, one of the greatest men she had ever met.

"Perhaps there is something I can do to return the favor?" Atris asked, her voice echoing with pride, honor, and a sense of nobility.

"No need." Bao-dur responded as he went on his way into the darkness of the Enclave to drop off the bodies for burial. Atris and Brianna soon followed after him as they found no other bodies that needed to be taken with.

"He is a truly inspiring man." Atris stated, looking at Brianna as they walked forward, "Such a man is admirable for the gentleness the he exudes, he surpasses that of the Exile."

"I agree milady. He has done much for Telos, and there may be more that he will do as a Jedi Knight. After all, now his power is limitless with the Force as his ally." Brianna replied maturely, her strong face relented as she thought of their softness. "Both the Exile and Bao-dur are gentle, but their control is what I must admire, they are truly strong if they can hold in such fearsome power and reserve it only when they need it."

"You see, you've grown, as you told me, you learned from your 'mistake' of breaking your oath to me." Atris pointed out, she held out the Exile's lightsaber and looked it over it defined that edge to him that she fell in love with so long ago. She recalled watching him spar against the other Jedi Padawans, how he managed to force them into making their own mistakes within the first few moves, truly a passionate man, but she knew deep down, then, as she knew now, that he stood against her definition of a Jedi Knight, he was the antithesis of all the Jedi stood for, and he was right. The Council had been too slow to react, and in the situation, there was no other option aside from following Revan and Malak into war, had the Jedi acted sooner, the Republic would have been saved from its current damage and the Mandalorians would have been wiped out. He was right.

**From the diary of Visas Marr**

_The way of the Jedi is one that requires strength, confidence, determination, and purity. I am but a simple sword in the hands of true warriors. I can only do as I am taught. Under Darth Nihilus, I was taught pain, agony, and death, I learned to kill Jedi and I assisted in the destruction of their Order. In my duel with the Exile, I saw a purity that no Jedi I had faced before carried. It amazed me that such an echo in the Force could grow so quickly and shine so brightly. As my lightsaber was shattered, I fell to the ground, not exhausted, or hurt, but wounded. It was a wound that did not penetrate my body or my mind, but the darkness within me. From his sheer presence, all the darkness within me suddenly found itself draining, and in flew his pure light as he took me to the Medbay. I was not a Sith by choice, but I chose to follow the Exile, to protect him from my former Master. When I finally brought the Exile to face my Master, he had grown so strong and so quickly that the light within him burned with his righteous fervor, lightsaber in hand, he fought Nihilus, though the battle seemed lost, somehow the Exile defeated Master. Even when I thought that the only way was for me to give my life to shatter the bond and weaken my Master, the Exile persuaded me that the battle would require no one to die needlessly. I owe the Exile my life, and it seems that for the rest of my life I shall owe him. The kind soul that is his is wounded by the pain from Malachor V, but even now; he heals quickly, just as my scars lost their pain when I joined the Exile._

Jorran looked at Visas, every night she would sit in the center of her bedroom and meditate on the destruction of Katarr. Her back to him, she was so still she could be easily forgotten. Until the Jedi Enclave was fully rebuilt, they were allowed to remain on the Ebon Hawk thanks to the Attendant. Visas seemed to know many different meditation techniques that she practiced all at once to ensure that she remained calm and focused, so much so that Jorran had requested to be taught her meditation techniques and perhaps to use them in the reformation of the Jedi Order, but many times Visas had not consented to his idea with that same response, "These techniques are specifically for me and no one else would prosper from them." Jorran lightly probed her mind while she meditated, every time she would repeat the same line over and over again about the destruction of Katarr and all of the Force-Sensitive inhabitants of the world. He silently sat beside her and began reciting the same chant in his head as well; something was different about his meditation, at first it was a slight nudge in his mind, something calling him to look about the inner-workings of his own thoughts. A frigid cold touched him, not on his body; it passed through him and touched the very elements of his being. This cold was choking him, overpowering him, and blinding him; this was the Dark side. It squirmed through him and took control of his eyes; he _opened_ them to see death and destruction. His ears opened to the screams of thousands of people, not a clear sound of it, but the draining sound of people screaming as they were sucked out of life and into the next. The world around him was covered in ash and destruction, buildings were demolished, and the environment was completely leveled and dried up, a wound in the Force as the vague shadow of Darth Nihilus absorbed all life. Before him stood a younger Visas Marr, short black hair flew back in the presence of the Sith Lord. Her eyes burned in pain, veins sprouted around her eyes as she screamed out in agony, a burning pain consuming her as Darth Nihilus stood and glared at her behind his inhuman mask.

Jolting out of his meditation, Jorran found himself on his back, the smell of blood in his nostrils. He sat up, to find himself in Medbay; Atton, Visas, Bao-dur, Brianna, and Mira quickly encircled him. They stared at him in horror as he soon realized that blood perforated from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.

"What the hell happened?" Atton shouted, Visas stepped behind him and picked up a rag, calmly applying it to Jorran's head, cleaning up the blood. "You howl like a Gundark, and we all find you with her" Atton motioned toward Visas, "And you're covered in blood while she is trying to wake you up!"

Jorran looked at Visas; deep down he could still feel the bone-chilling cold penetrating his being. "I decided to join Visas in meditation." Jorran thought precariously on how to explain what had happened, "I…I witnessed the destruction of Katarr." Jorran replied, a headache ringing through the blood in his ears; now he would not be able to stop the frenzy if they conspired against Visas.

Visas looked at him, awestruck, she seemed more worried then caring as she quickly finished wiping the blood out of his face, burning his with the fabric as it quickly chaffed against his cheeks. "You witnessed the destruction of Katarr, and also Darth Nihilus?" She interrogated silently, pulling Jorran up and positioning her head to be centered directly toward his, looking at his face through the Force, but also probing his mind if he let any thought betray him.

"Yes." Jorran replied, staring down into her lifeless white eyes, he felt her enter his mind like a soft hand reaching back and caressing his scalp. She rest her arms against his chest, laying her hands on his collar-bone and proceeded to lay her head against his chest as well.

She stood against him while he wrapped his arms around her. Mira proceeded to questioning, "So, this just proves that meditation is dangerous?" She tried to bring to group's morale up as she punched Atton lightly, "Or perhaps that was all an excuse to hide your kinky BDSM games?" Her light smile waned when T3-M4 chirped loudly in an indignant tone.


	3. Survival

Chapter 3: Survival

Jorran awoke and went into the fresher station aboard the Ebon Hawk; it seemed that no one else was awake at the time. Stepping out from the showers, his beard and hair were dripping wet, soaked to his skull. Combing his hair, Jorran looked in the mirror, there seemed to be no explanation for why blood protruded from his ears, eyes, or nose. He wondered if it was a message directed at him, or perhaps one of the others; either way, his eyes were bloodshot, he had not slept well, and while Visas remained fast asleep, he decided it best to let her sleep then to wake her to discuss the issue of the blood or tell her if happened after reciting her chant and attempting to recreate her meditation techniques. It was a bad idea first, and second he was forewarned they were specifically for her, he could only hope he understood why now. Jorran wiped his eyes with his straightened fingers and continued to look into the mirror, it seemed that he was developing quite dark circles under his eyes, not unlike the ones he developed during the war, but not like them either. He was drained and fatigued by her meditation, and nightmares of what he felt and witnessed kept him up all night, was this fate of the new Grandmaster of the Jedi Order?

Atton suddenly through the entrance and began undressing to get showered up. "How are you doing today? No more bleeding I hope." He asked Jorran politely, peering into the mirror behind him and rubbing his forehead. "You know, I know being a Jedi won't be easy, but will we completely rebuild the Enclave, or can we just leave the rest for later when we actually need more space?" Atton knew the answer, but he didn't like the thought of having to do so much.

"Well, we could've just resumed the Temple on Coruscant, but the problem with that is that there are no lightsaber crystal caverns on Coruscant, which means that Jedi would have to travel around to start working on their first lightsaber." Jorran replied, he finished examining his face and started putting on his Dark Jedi Master robes. The light-weight black garments were easy to stereotype all Dark Jedi as wearing black, but the color fit Jorran, and Jorran liked it as well.

"Should a Grandmaster really be setting a trend of rebelling against his leaders and wearing all black? I mean, why not paint your nails, dye your hair black, and stay in a dark room until you're pale and wrinkly?" Atton joked.

"Can a Grandmaster even rebel, or would he just be setting a trend?" Jorran asked as he straightened the vest and donned the black cloak.

"True." Atton replied and went back to getting into the showers.

Jorran left the Ebon Hawk early to begin work on the Jedi Enclave, yet it seemed today would be just as bad as the night prior. When he reached the Enclave, he found that salvagers had returned to set the Jedi back in their ways of fixing up the place by searching for uncovered loot. Jorran picked one of them up and stopped him, "The government has ceased all laws pertaining to salvaging in the Jedi Enclave, and you all are now illegally trespassing." Jorran said, announcing it to the others as well.

The salvagers stopped and looked at the Jedi Master, though empty-handed, they really didn't care and resumed their rummaging. Jorran sighed, in disbelief, "If you all won't leave, I will contact the local militia." Jorran's threat was no lie, having actually participated in the battle against the bounty hunters and ensuring the success of it as well, the salvagers knew how much influence this Jedi actually had, and were left with no doubt that he would take care of the problem one way or the other.

Having managed to clear the Enclave of its intruders, Jorran looked around at the mess that now littered the floor, the salvagers callously left trash and garbage littering the floors, graffiti lined the walls, slurs against various races and even against Jedi. Even the great fountain at the entrance had been contaminated. Jorran looked about and asked himself what would possess salvagers to get up and start ruining the Enclave for no reason, did the reconstruction carry some promise of unlocking forgotten treasures or new areas that needed to be ransacked and destroyed? Jorran began picking up the trash, mostly ration packs that had been all used up and discarded carelessly. Jorran wondered if the previous Grandmaster would have just took out his lightsaber and cleaved all of them apart and posted their heads on spears, Jorran knew that to be dark-sided, but he entertained the thought of it for at least a moment, grinning and imagining how evil that would make him.

Just as he found a bag to place the trash in, a single footstep alerted him to another's presence, immediately he turned to face it, but saw only shadows. "Salvaging is illegal here, so I suggest you leave now, you'll find no treasures or keepsakes to sell or make off with now." Jorran stated sharply, he continued to stare into the darkness and wait for the person to come forth and leave. No sound of footsteps nor did anyone step into the light. Jorran took the initiative and jumped into the darkness with his lightsaber ignited, the violet blade casting shadows as it illuminated the darkness. Jorran became uneasy as he looked about and saw that no one occupied the space of where the footstep was heard. "Perhaps I'm hearing things." He said to himself, walking back into the light of the entrance to the great fountain.

"Perhaps it's simply your imagination." A voice said, Jorran swiftly jumped forward and saw that in the other hallway opening stood Visas. She wore the cream-colored robe and slacks that Jorran was provided when his ship and equipment were seized on the Citadel Station above Telos. Her entire face was uncovered and exposed to the world.

"So you got tired of wearing your heavy robes?" Jorran asked, grinning as he moved toward her.

"I decided to come after you when you got up." Visas replied; her double-bladed lightsaber dangled at her thigh, a heavy weapon in any case as she limped while walking with it at her side. "I thought I might find you at the very back of the Enclave, but you were not there, so I made a few complete circles. I even worked my way around backwards to ensure you weren't walking in the same pattern as I was." Her long black hair was greasy; it was cold from her prolonged stay in the darkness of the Enclave.

"Did you notice anyone while you were down here?" Jorran asked, reaching down and grabbing her hand, holding it tenderly.

"Aside from the salvagers, it was just me." Visas replied, she knew her skin was greasy, she could feel it as her hand rubbed against his smooth dry skin. She followed him as he trekked into the darkness from where he had heard the sound.

**From the Diary of Bao-dur**

_Having witnessed General covered in blood, I could not help but to think that there was something amiss aboard the Ebon Hawk. I personally checked on the bunk where Visas Marr and General spent their time together, it seems more and more that they have become inseparable. Their room checked out, at least there was nothing wrong with the room. I also, personally, checked out each and every one of the compartments aboard the Ebon Hawk to see if we had any stowaways of disgruntled inhabitants of Dantooine._

_Perhaps it is my failing for not relying completely on the General's training in the Force, but I do not see any reason for this to be an attack of the Sith, with Malachor V wiped out, there couldn't be any left to oppose the Jedi. As a Jedi Knight, I must remember that my training has taught me much in the ways of the Force and about the Force, as well as to remain in balance with it._

_As I recall, meditation techniques are used for centering one's self and finding balance, but if General practiced a form of meditation where he bashed his head into balance, that would be the only explanation. Yet, there is a strange cold that has recently appeared aboard this ship, a frightening one, similar to the one I felt when I first activated the Mass Shadow Generator and consumed many Republic soldiers and utterly destroyed the Mandalorian fleet. What a very peculiar feeling, a very peculiar feeling indeed this is._

Bao-dur began routine maintenance on the Ebon Hawk, which he always did before any meal. Seeing no problems, he'd head off and grab a bite to eat, luxuriously supplied by the government on Dantooine in honor of the heroes who liberated it. Of course, were the General a maligned soul, he would easily use the planet's gratitude as his advantage and slowly sucked the life out of it. Bao-dur knew Jorran to be a better man, even in the face of his enemies; the General was too pure a soul. Bao-dur admired the General for his strength and generosity; he hoped that one day that he could find such kindness in himself. Though Bao-dur spent much of his time building shields to protect people, he stilled carried a hate within him towards the Czerka Corporation and all the people like them. But hate is not the Jedi way. Bao-dur needed the General's guidance.

Bao-dur entered the Administrator's Office where the group was treated lavishly. Mira, Atton, Brianna, Atris, and T3-M4 were sprawled out enjoying their breakfast. "It's not much, but it's the least we can offer you." The Administrator stated once again, she was willing to offer the group anything she could find, and then some. The smell of fresh Dorian Passion fruit brightened up the office, Mira seemed to be enjoying the half she stole from Atton who had tried to reason with her to get her own.

Bao-dur grabbed one and a cup of Belaria juice drank fully and consumed the fruit quickly; assuming that General went to the Enclave early, Bao-dur did not want to be seen as lazy in the years since the war. He thanked the Administrator who attempted to speak more then a syllable to him of returned gratitude but was unable due to Bao-dur quickly heading off to the Enclave.

"Don't take it personally, he has pride issues that will inevitably cause him to lose sleep, become malnourished, and eventually go crazy and kill his entire family." Mira joked, still not understanding the point of tact; she was brought down by Atton's chastising stare. "What?"

Atton paid his personal respects to the man as he reprimanded Mira, "He probably lost his family during the Mandalorian Wars, remember? Can you think of any other reason why he'd have built the Mass Shadow Generator? Let me tell you, only a man with nothing to lose would even dream up such a powerful weapon, let alone build it and be the personal executioner of thousands of Mandalorians and Republic soldiers." Atton glared at her, seeming to have caught the attention of the entire room, everyone had a newfound respect for the quiet technician who had only moments before stood with them.

Atton's revelation into the mind of a man who carries the weight of a lifeless world and all those who were on it when it was destroyed almost brought Brianna and Atris to their knees. They knew that both the Exile and Bao-dur carried heavy weights on their shoulders, but they didn't even begin to consider why Bao-dur had built such a monstrosity, nor how only one powerful emotion could have forged such a weapon.

As Bao-dur entered the Enclave, it was beginning to look better then it had when they first scoured the Enclave in search of the two bodies and the will. Bao-dur walked around slowly to viewing the great fountain room in great detail. Every nook and cranny met Bao-dur's expectations, it seemed that General was hard at work since morning. As he moved toward the entrance of one of the halls, something shattered the silence, the sound was garbled and hard to discern. Bao-dur looked around, though the Enclave was wrecked for the most part, there was no way that cracked stones or dripping water could make a sound like that. He waited again, motionlessly, and he was rewarded for his silence by the haunting sound. The eerie sound replayed, the sound was not edgy like a dead blade dulled on durasteel, but it was more disturbing. A soft laughter erupted was what shattered the silence, not that of Mira, but of a girl much younger, it almost sounded like…

Visas and Jorran silently began cleaning up the former lightsaber training room; the flooring was partially covered in moss, as were the corners of the walls. There was humidity specific to the room. As they cleaned up, they found treasures hidden underneath the growth that no one would have seen were they not willing to pry up the stubborn moss. They had found a lightsaber with a dead energy cell, the power core leaked past the shielding making the lightsaber unusable, but salvageable. They had also found more corpses, not of salvagers, but of younglings, Jedi younglings. A sad sight to find a small corpse obviously killed with the very same lightsaber they found as the skeleton's anatomy was cleanly cut. Neither Visas nor Jorran recoiled; they simply found pity for the poor soul.

The shriek of blaster fire erupted and echoed through the halls, a scream, an unnatural screech, but not far away, the two raced to the scene, there they found Bao-dur leaning against a wall, his eyes fixated on the area in front of him, a willow of smoke whispering from the barrel of his blaster rifle. Jorran grabbed him by the shoulder, but jerked backward when the rifle aimed right towards him.

"Bao-dur, what's wrong?" Jorran asked, holding his hands up conceding. He looked over Bao-dur's face, it was pale, unusually so, unnaturally so.

Bao-dur dropped the rifle, raising himself up as he worked his bent legs against the wall, he managed to stand up straight once his back was parallel to the wall, he would have dropped back to his knees had Jorran not caught him. "Bao-dur" Jorran shouted, "What's the matter with you?" as he lifted the shaking Zabrak up. No answer. Jorran saw that a giant slash cut deeply into Bao-dur, he realized that there ceased to be a glow around Bao-dur and he noticed in horror that Bao-dur's cybernetic arm had been cut through as well. Jorran and Visas quickly hoisted Bao-dur over to the Administrator's office where he was taken to the Medbay there and tended to by the medical droid.

"What happened to him?" Brianna asked Visas, barely hiding any hint of jealousy or disdain.

"We found him leaning against a wall, injured; he was shaking as though he had seen into the soul of Darth Nihilus." She replied, her eyes closed, Brianna found it almost off-setting that she could live without opening her eyes.

"And you would know all about Sith Lords, wouldn't you?" Brianna retorted, "Your deception will not blind me or milady, and eventually Jorran will see through it." Brianna stared fiercely into the eyes of her rival, she may have won Jorran's heart, but Brianna knew that she and Jorran shared a stronger bond then love, the pact between two warriors.

Without replying, Visas went to Jorran's side, which stood over Bao-dur while the medical droid fixed the large bloody gash on his chest, Jorran worked on fixing the cybernetic arm and making it fully functional for when Bao-dur awoke from the anesthetics.

Mira peered at the wounded man, the man she teased jokingly earlier, it seemed karma had come full circle and was making her regret her words, though she was not without a consoling soul. Atton put his arm around her, "None of us could have known. If any one of us had gone with him, he'd have been all right, so none of us can be solely blamed." This comforted Mira, unbeknownst to her, her face had run a deep shade of red while her eyes grew soggy with tears.

Atton hugged her caringly and then proceeded to walk over to Jorran, "Jorran, we have to find what did this to him before we can resume any work on the Enclave."

Jorran glanced back at him and nodded in agreement; Bao-dur was gravely injured, not because of neglect, but because it was a powerful predator, Jorran thought to himself, the Administrator offered her deepest sympathies and promised that Bao-dur would be fully cared for, all amenities would be provided to the best extent possible. Jorran stopped working on Bao-dur's arm when he realized that the problem was not the cut in it, but it had been drained of all of its power, Jorran could feel the chilling cold he had felt the prior night emanating from the drained power cell that fueled Bao-dur's arm.

"Could it have been the Sith?" Atton asked, looking down at Bao-dur wearily.

"No. Bao-dur would have noticed any Sith assassin and drawn his lightsaber, which remains at his…" Jorran paused, noticing that the perfectly geometric lightsaber that once hung from Bao-dur's tool belt was missing. "Atton, this was no mere assassin, but a Sith Lord would have mercilessly killed Bao-dur and then picked off Visas and I when we came to his rescue." Jorran was left quixotically contemplating what could have attacked their friend, something dangerous and powerful, yet predatorily picked Bao-dur out only to leave him alive.


End file.
